The Dreaded Dry Nose

Health Guides
Skin Care

Winter is a magical time of year: picturesque, snow covered vistas; romantic strolls through the brisk air; children building snowmen; holiday cheer. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to enjoy all that winter has to offer.

Troublesome ailments like cracked lips, dry skin and tender noses are often to blame for people’s lack of patience for this season. Luckily, there are many ways to avoid these winter woes, specifically the dreaded dry nose.

The cold winter weather is often blamed for causing nasal dryness. Contrary to popular believe, however, this tiresome condition, which can cause crusting, cracking, and bleeding, has a wide range of both causes and cures.

Causes:

Side effects of medication

Allergies are very common in Canada, and equally common are runny, stuffy, blocked noses as the symptoms. Unfortunately, nearly all ‘fast relief’ drops and sprays available over the counter for these nasal allergy symptoms can cause a dry nose. The biggest culprits are the anti-histamines commonly used to clear blocked noses. These medications dry up nasal secretions, your nose’s natural moisturizers, often leading to either scabbing and/or bleeding.

Parents should pay particular attention to young children, who are more likely to pick at such dry, crusted scabs, causing nose bleeds.

In general, these nasal decongestants should be used with caution. In some cases, there is a rebound effect, meaning that one must continue to use the product to keep the symptoms at bay, thereby making these products almost addictive. Be sure to only use such medications a few times a day, never exceeding the recommended dosage. If you have persisting “allergic” symptoms, you should see your family doctor. You may need allergy testing, and your doctor can prescribe special steroid sprays, which are very effective and which will not dry up your nose.

Other medications, including atropine, ventolin and triretinoin (for severe acne), may also lead to a dry nose.

Climatic conditions

Hot, dry, windy weather can play havoc with your nose. Whether it’s the naturally extreme weather of Canada, or artificial heating and cooling, extreme conditions can make your nose dry up.

Long hours of air travel can also lead to a dry nose.

Skin diseases extending into the nose

Eczema and seborrheic dermatoses (a skin condition akin to dandruff) can occur around the nose and can start to inflame the inside of the nose as well. These conditions have to be treated with skin ointments, such as anti-fungals, etc., depending on the specific ailment.

Other health problems

Other ailments, such as SLE, Raynaud’s phenomenon and rheumatoid arthritis, can also cause dry nose.

There are two rare conditions which may specifically cause nasal dryness : Sjogren’s syndrome – a disease affecting the salivary and the mucus glands and presenting itself with drying of the eyes, nose and mouth - and Kerato-Conjunctivitis Sicca – a condition in which the eyes are mainly affected by the tears drying up, but the nose can also show dryness.

Smoking

Smoking aggravates all these conditions. If you are a smoker, for your nose’s sake, quit!

Treatment:

When your nose makes you feel like you are in the middle of the Sahara desert, look for petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Just a dab is all that’s needed for mild cases. Apply mainly to the front surface of the nose on the midwall (septum), but go easy with it, especially when applying to children. You can also try propylene based gels, or just plain sesame oil.

A simple and effective home remedy is warm saline drops. Sterile saline (available at pharmacies) is best. This treatment will loosen up dry, sticky mucus. Put 3 drops in each nostril (if using this remedy on children, we suggest having them lie down first), wait one minute, and then suck up the mucus using a rubber suction bulb.

Keys to Prevention:

1. Since dry nose is often a side effect of the medication, carefully select your medications – especially your allergy treatments. Also, ask your doctor and pharmacist to review all prescription drugs you currently take to learn if they might be causing your dry nose.

2. Always drink plenty of fluids to keep your mucus membranes well-hydrated. It makes sense to moisten your membranes from the inside.

3. Skin conditions around the nose may require topical medications. Some acne creams can cause dry skin; ask your doctor for alternatives.

4. Avoid drafts! When that freezing wind blows in from the prairies, stay indoors. The same goes for hot, windy days in summer.

5. Maintaining humidity levels in-doors is important, but equally important is the upkeep of the humidifiers. They must be cleaned regularly or else they can actually do more harm than good by spreading germs and dirt, making allergy and asthma symptoms worse. Using distilled water in your humidifier is best, although more expensive.